Over 46 Recorded Moped-Enabled Crimes In Borough Every Month

Leonie Cooper AM backs Mayor's approach to the problem in Wandsworth

There are 46 recorded moped-enabled offences in Wandsworth on average every month according to figures released by the Home Office.

In 2017 there were over 14,000 thefts of motorcycles in London and 23,430 crimes were committed using motorcycles in the capital – an average of 64 a day and a 163 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

Representatives from motorcycle manufacturers including Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, BMW and Piaggio met this week with the Met Police, MOPAC (the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime), the Motorcycle Industry Association and the police security initiative Secured by Design at City Hall, where London Mayor Sadiq Khan told manufacturers they must improve the design of new motorcycles to make them more difficult to steal.

The police are also introducing new measures to combat moped thefts and moped-enabled crime including the use of a Forensic DNA tagging spray. Trained officers will spray suspects with invisible liquid which contains a unique synthetic DNA code and UV marker that clings to the skin and cannot be removed.

Local London Assembly Member, Leonie Cooper, says, “Over the past two years, I have been regularly contacted about moped-enabled crime by local residents and have raised their concerns with both the local Police and the Met Commissioner. The level of moped enabled crime is completely unacceptable and I am pleased to see the Mayor intervening to bring the manufacturers together. This issue goes beyond policing, the motorcycle manufacturers must take responsibility and innovate in order to keep Londoners safe.”

Meanwhile the Met’s Be Safe campaign, launched in June 2017, aims to raise awareness with moped riders of measures they can take to reduce the risk of their vehicle being stolen.